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Academic Integrity & Plagiarism

This guide provides examples of plagiarism, and tips and resources to help students avoid plagiarism.

Tips for Avoiding Plagiarism

When in doubt, cite. 
You'll never get in trouble for citing a source when it isn't necessary 

Don't Procrastinate
Work ahead so you have time to track and cite your sources properly.

Take Good Notes
Build your reference list as you work instead of trying to pull it together after you've written a paper. While reading, write down at minimum the author's name, page numbers, and a way to go back and access the source when you read something you might want to include in your writing

Stay Organized
Try using OneSearch folders and tools or Zotero to help you save and organize sources.

Ask Questions
Ask your instructor or a librarian if you have questions about integrating sources, citing, or avoiding plagiarism.

Read and Understand Before You Write
If you find it difficult to avoid copying too much of your source's words when writing a paper, prepare note cards or a document of paraphrased ideas and important quotes as you read. Then work from those notes, instead of the sources, while you write to encourage yourself to generate your own words and sentences.

Resources

Consult these resources for more information